


Harry Potter and the Malfoy Heir

by AmeliaDarkholme



Series: Harry Potter and the Godfathers [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2020-03-08 10:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18892534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaDarkholme/pseuds/AmeliaDarkholme
Summary: It was Harry's second year, and he seriously hoped that this year, there wouldn't be anymore evil teachers trying to kill him. He was really looking forward to a peaceful school year where he could focus on his studies and have a great time with his friends.Unfortunately, when one of his friends happened to be Draco Malfoy, troubles seemed to follow him.





	1. SECOND YEAR: Coming Back

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second instalment of the series, and it's set during Harry's second year.

This was it.

She was  _finally_  coming to Hogwarts.

Ginny wondered whether she could burst from being  _so happy._

Ever since she was only six, when she watched her older brother Percy boarded the train, Ginny had been dreaming about the time she would get on the train herself. Last year, she thought she could sneak onto the train, what with her twin brothers Fred and George helping her after all. She wished she had succeeded, especially after she found out that her brother Ron sat the whole train ride with  _the_ Harry Potter. It was well-known in her family that she had a  _huge_ crush on the only surviving Potter. Her parents, especially her mother, found it sweet. Her brothers though? Even Percy  _laughed_ whenever Ginny blushed at the mention of Harry's name. Ron became the most annoying one now, seeing that he actually befriended Ginny's crush. The whole summer, the only female Weasley was teased mercilessly about it. It was  _infuriating_. So when she and her family got to King's Cross to for her first year, Ginny tried her best not to flee when Harry finally appeared with his family. The older boy came running toward his best friend, beaming as he told his friend about his summer when his Godparents took him to the house where his father grew up in. They still had sometime until they had to cross the 9¾ platform, and Harry decided that he'd treat his best friend with some Muggle ice-cream. Ron tried to deny it at first, but Harry was very persistent. In the end, Ginny's brother relented and let himself got dragged toward the ice-cream parlour, trying and failing to hide the huge smile on his face.

Harry had his entirely family coming with him to drop him off, and they all attracted so much attention. Starting from Harry's legal Godparents, Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon, who were talking seriously with Ginny's parents about Sirius' plan on trying to find her second-oldest brother Charlie that had gone missing. Her heart ached a little at the thought of her favourite brother after the twins, who liked to carry her around the house as she pretended to be riding a broom because her mother wouldn't let her to ride the real one. Shaking the thoughts away so she wouldn't start crying, Ginny moved her stare to look at Harry's other Godparents, Remus and Dorcas Lupin. Remus was partially involved in Sirius' conversation as he kept an eye around, constantly alert toward potential threats like the good Auror he was. His wife the Healer was busy conversing with the third couple in the group as she tended to Sirius' newborn girl. Ginny knew instantly that they were Sirius' brother and his family, Regulus Black. The younger Black was holding his a little baby girl who Ginny suspected was his own daughter. The other woman, who was talking to Dorcas, was probably Regulus' wife, seeing that she was wearing a ring. If the whole lot of them were aware of the attention they were attracting, they ignored it rather well. Muggles were probably oblivious about who they really were, but the passing wizards and witches knew who these people were.

"Mum, it's almost eleven," Percy said seriously, glancing toward Sirius and Remus discreetly yet the admiration was obvious. "We should go now."

"Oh yes," Molly Weasley said. She looked around and found that Ron was her only children that wasn't present. Turning to Ginny, she said, "Your brother isn't here yet?"

"I think he's still with Harry," Ginny answered. Molly clicked her tongue impatiently.

"Boys," she sighed before she started to yell for her youngest son' name. At the same time, Harry's Godmothers were calling his name.

"Yes, yes! We're coming in a minute!" Ginny heard Harry yelled back. "We just have to pay this and then we'll be there."

"They'll be fine, Molly," Sirius said, looking thoroughly amused. "We'll just leave them now and they'll come after us. You need to help your daughter, right?"

"Okay then… Come on, Ginny. We'll go now."

With her parents' help, Ginny got her trunk onto the train safely and easily. She kissed her parents goodbye and followed her brothers onto the train, where Percy quickly ditched her while Fred and George dropped her off into an empty compartment before they went off to find their friend Lee Jordan. Ginny quickly went to the window so she could wave at her parents goodbye. They looked a little distracted when they waved back at her, and only then did she realise she  _never_ saw her brother or Harry following after them. No doubt her mother got worried, especially when the train started to move. From where she was standing, she saw that her mother wasn't the only one who was freaking out. Marlene and Dorcas looked like they were going to send a search party. Before the train took a turn, she saw Sirius whipping out his wand while Remus joined Arthur to calm down the ladies, the whole time Regulus was snickering as he talked to his wife who looked a bit uneasy. It would be lying to say that she wasn't worried about Ron and Harry, but she knew that if anyone could find the both of them, it would Sirius. He  _was_ the best Auror the world had ever seen after all.

Deciding that she needed to do something to entertain herself the whole way to Hogwarts, she picked up the diary her parents bought her. It was a beautiful leather-bound book, albeit being a secondhand one. From the named embroidered to the cover, she knew that the book used to belong to a guy named Tom Marvolo Riddle. Just when she was about to inspect it further, the door to her compartment was suddenly opened, and Ginny whipped around in surprise. She found a girl around her age with dirty-blonde hair and comically huge eyes. As the girl sort of glided into her compartment nonchalantly, Ginny noticed the girl's company. He was a strikingly handsome boy, a Hufflepuff and at least a fifth year, judging by the glittering Prefect badge he had. He gave Ginny a small smile before his gaze was back toward his blonde companion. Ginny knew who they were, seeing that they were practically her neighbours. The girl was Luna Lovegood, whose father was the quirky owner of the weird newspaper the Quibler. The boy was Cedric Diggory, and his father was a friend of Ginny's own father. She rarely saw the both of them because, albeit being neighbours of sort, the Burrow was still about half a mile away. So, even though they were of the same age, Ginny never had a play-date with Luna. It seemed though, despite being four years older, Luna and Cedric looked to be very close.

"Luna, Cedric," Ginny greeted them.

"Hey, Ginny," Cedric said in return while Luna just stared at her. "Excited for your first year?"

"Yeah," the female Weasley answered. "And before you ask me about it, I really wish I get into Gryffindor. Like,  _a lot._ "

"Well, you have six brothers in Gryffindor already. And your parents were Gryffindors too. Pretty sure you'll end up in Gryffindor," Cedric said kindly.

"I hope so... Um, what about you, Luna? Which House do you want to be in?" Ginny asked for politeness' sake.

"Ravenclaw," the blonde answered curtly without looking at Ginny, too busy playing with her weird-looking necklace. "My mum always said the smart ones ended up in Ravenclaw."

_"Excuse me?"_

What did she just say?

"She didn't mean to be rude," Cedric quickly said upon seeing Ginny's reaction. "Luna said things truthfully without minding the fact that she shouldn't have said that."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Ginny," Luna said flatly. Ginny glared at the blonde, wanting to be angry so badly at her. But once she saw the honesty in Luna's pale blue eyes, she knew she wouldn't have the heart to.

Sighing, Ginny said, "You don't have much friends, do you?"

"Except for Cedric, I don't have any," Luna answered truthfully. It was obvious she wasn't used to rhetorical questions.

"I don't have friends too, other than my brothers," Ginny replied, smiling a bit. "Do you want to be my friend, Luna?"

Her words seemed to catch Luna off her guard. She stared at Ginny's offered hand, and turned to look at Cedric who was smiling encouragingly. It took her sometime to take Ginny's hand.

"You're nicer than I thought you'd be," Luna said, cocking her head to the side. "Nicer than most people, in fact."

"Why, thank you," Ginny laughed. She had a feeling that being friends with Luna would be interesting.

"Well, I have to go," Cedric said, beaming in an earnest smile that made him looked even more handsome. "I've got Prefects meeting. Luna, I trust that you'll be alright with Ginny?"

"I'll be fine," Luna said. For the first time since she got into the compartment, Luna flashed the briefest smile toward Cedric. "Thank you for accompanying me."

"You know I'll always be there for you, Luna," the Prefect said, still with a smile. "Anyway, see you later, moon princess."

_Moon princess?_

Ginny knew quite a lot about Cedric, seeing that Fred and George always moaned about how  _every_ girl in their year was attracted to the older boy. Despite being a Hufflepuff, Cedric was known for being smarter than most Ravenclaw in his year. If that wasn't enough, he was also a great Quidditch player, being a Seeker  _and_ he was just crowned Captain of his team that year. The few times Ginny and her family was invited to the Diggory household because of a party they held, Ginny remembered seeing Cedric and having a  _slight_ attraction toward him. He was taller than most boys his age that Ginny knew, and though he was still relatively young, Cedric looked to be well-built. With dark-brown hair that framed his handsome face perfectly, his good-looks were perfected with chiselled features and bright grey eyes. While his father Amos was rather boastful about his son, Cedric himself took after his mother and preferred to keep to himself whenever his father talked about Cedric's achievement to everyone who wanted to listen. Other than the twins, Percy once also remarked that Cedric had huge potential on becoming a Head Boy, and Percy would  _definitely_ feel threatened if Cedric was someone from his year. Thus, to see someone like Cedric being friends with  _Luna Lovegood,_ and seemed like he genuinely  _cared_ for the younger girl, baffled Ginny. His little nickname was practically the cherry on top of her amusement. Not even Ginny's brothers ever gave her a sweet pet-name, and they were all very close with one another.

"You look like you're very close with him," Ginny said after sometime, unable to help herself.

"He's been my friend since I was nine, ever since my mum died," Luna explained. "I was playing by the pond near my house, and I almost slipped into the water when Cedric came and saved me. After he scolded me, we just became friends since then."

" _Oh wow..._ " Ginny whistled. "To be honest, he didn't seem like the person who would befriend just anybody, much less a girl who is four years younger than him. And I didn't mean to say that to offend you."

"No, I understand that," Luna said. There was a funny look in her eyes as she turned her head and stared blankly at where Cedric was moments prior. "If you ask me, Ginny, I  _still_ don't get it myself why he wanted to be my friend. Because we both know that people Cedric Diggory can have  _anybody_  they want to be their friends."

"Yeah," Ginny muttered, the image of a certain boy with startling green-eyes and a lightning-shaped scar came to mind. "I know that very well, Luna."

* * *

When the portal wouldn't open for him and Ron, the only thing Harry had in mind was  _how_ to get to Hogwarts without the train. He didn't think about contacting Sirius using the Mirror, or any other adults via other means. So when Ron suggested that they should try going to Hogwarts on his father's flying Ford Anglia, Harry agreed immediately without second thoughts. Not to mention, he remembered Sirius' stories about how before he died, James planned on buying himself a car. Even though his Godparents always made sure he was well-acquaintance with the Muggle world too, Harry had  _never_ got into a car before because his Godmothers were rather afraid of them. The threat that he practically exposed the magic world in front hundreds of Muggles by flying the car didn't even cross his mind. Harry actually believed that he could sneak into Gryffindor's common room without getting caught. Imagine the horror he felt when Argus Filch, who held a grudge toward the Marauders for years, caught him and Ron. It didn't help one bit when the caretaker called on bloody Severus Snape _._ If there was anyone who hated Harry more than Filch because of his father and his friends, it would be Snape. Harry felt like kissing Dumbledore's feet when the old Headmaster literally saved him from getting expelled. Hell, he'd even send McGonagall  _birthday presents_  though she told him that she'd be sending his Godparents a letter about his 'bad behaviour'. Harry could care less about a letter, as long as he didn't get expelled.

Unfortunately for him, Ron didn't feel the same way was he did about McGonagall telling on his parents. Yes, he was relieved that he didn't get expelled. But once he finally thought about his parents' (read: his  _mother)_ reaction toward the letter. Harry thought his ears would burst after Ron whined for the  _thirtieth_ time about how his mother would murder him. But, if he thought Ron's whining was bad, he had to take it back the moment he saw Hermione. His brilliant friend gave him  _longer_  lectures than what his Godmothers used to give him. She kept on going about how he irresponsible he was being, and how it could have gotten him killed. The only person who thought it was amusing was  _Malfoy,_ who actually laughed a loud with his friends Nott and Zabini after he asked Harry to tell him the details about him. Ever since Regulus' party, where they were forced to sit side by side, being the only children around, Harry and Malfoy had decided to be civil toward each other. They were still on last-name basis, but at least they wouldn't be yelling insults at each other. Harry was about to tell Hermione to  _shut it_ after she repeated the same speech over and over again, when Ron's old owl Errol came with the worst thing a student could ever get from their parents.

_A Howler._

With trembling hands, after some not-so encouraging words from Harry and Neville, Ron finally opened his Howler. The redhead was barely done with tearing the seal opened when the Howler jumped from his hand, and Mrs Weasley's voice came in a loud shrill, echoing all over the Great Hall as if the woman herself was around. Ron's face had gone as red as his face, and it made Harry felt bad for him. He felt even more guilty when Mrs Weasley said that her husband was facing an inquiry at work because of the stunt Harry and her son pulled. Harry wished that Sirius and Remus pulled on some strings to help good old Mr Weasley, so he wouldn't be fired or anything. After Mrs Weasley's Howler were shredded into bits, everyone in the Great Hall went silent, before  _Malfoy_ broke the silent with his loud and degrading laughter, followed closely by Nott and Zabini. Harry couldn't help but to roll his eyes at Malfoy's display of insolence, knowing that even though the both of them went to stop Quirrel with Harry, it was obvious that Malfoy and Ron still didn't like each other. The Hall fell silent once again when Sirius' owl Sting, named after singer because he was one of Sirius' favourite  _and_ because the owl had beautiful voice, came with Harry's own Howler. Now, unlike Ron, Howlers didn't scare Harry. Well, except when they came from Marlene or Dorcas. He wasn't exactly surprised when Sting came with the Howler because really, he got Howlers on  _daily basis_ , thanks to his Animagus Godfather who didn't seem to understand that Howlers  _weren't_  meant to be used for normal communications. Nevertheless, Harry was still a bit worried though, since he really did break serious ( _"The puns are getting too old, Harry," Hermione sighed in a bored tone.)_  rules this time. He knew that he  _could_ have argued that it was  _entirely_ his fault the portal wouldn't open for him and Ron, but sometimes, when the Godmothers were involved, Sirius and Remus had no choice but to scold Harry. Glancing at both of his friends, Harry reached for his Howler and pulled on the seal, bracing himself for the craziness that would come.

A loud, girlish scream was heard as the Howler came to life, before it started to jiggle like a tap dancer. Then, came the familiar voice of Remus Lupin arguing with the notorious Sirius Black, with background  _vocals_  done by Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Lupin.

" _SIRIUS, STOP SCREAMING!_  REALLY, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START  _GROW UP_  AND STOP USING HOWLERS TO CONTACT HARRY?"

" _NEVER!_  HOWLERS EXIST FOR A REASON, REMY!"

"YEAH, AND YOU'RE  _CLEARLY_  ABUSING ITS INITIAL USE, YOU TOSSPOT!"

"SLYTHERIN'S STINKING SOCKS, BROTHER. I FORGOT YOU WERE  _ALWAYS_ THIS ANNOYING."

"SHUT IT, REGGIE. I THOUGHT TODAY WAS YOUR TURN TO TAKE CARE OF THE GIRLS. DO YOUR WORK, LITTLE BROTHER."

"BOYS, REALLY? I'M PRETTY SURE  _EVERYONE_  IN HOGWARTS IS LISTENING TO US, RIGHT NOW. AND I DON'T THINK THEY NEED TO KNOW HOW  _CHILDISH_  THEIR FAVOURITE AURORS ARE."

"SORRY, MAR. I CAN'T HELP IT WHEN YOUR STUPID FIANCE IS BEING AN IDIOT."

"EXCUSE ME?  _MOI_? AN IDIOT? WELL, LET ME REFRESH YOUR MEMORIES, REMUS JOHN LUPIN; I SCORED HIGHER SCORES THAN YOU AND JAMES  _AND_  LILY COMBINED! I'M A BLOODY GENI-"

" _SIRIUS!_ "

"OH RIGHT. SORRY, DOE... ANYWAY,  _HARRY JAMES POTTER_! YOU SNEAKY LITTLE  _PRICK_! YOU FLEW AN  _ENCHANTED_  CAR TO HOGWARTS? WOW, FAWN.  _WOW._  I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE WORDS TO DESCRIBE JUST HOW BLOODY  _PROUD_ I AM OF YOU. LIKE, I KNOW MOST RESPONSIBLE ADULTS WOULD BE SCOLDING YOU RIGHT NOW, LIKE REMY AND THE LADIES WOULD DEFINITELY DO, BUT THANK MERLIN WE BOTH KNOW I HAVE THE MENTALITY OF A RESPONSIBLE FOUR YEAR OLD. I REPEAT; WORDS CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HOW PROUD  _AND_ IMPRESSED I AM OF YOU RIGHT NOW, KID. YOU TRULY ARE YOUR FATHER'S SON. JAMES WOULD BE SO PRO – "

" _MERLIN'S BEARD, SIRIUS!_  I ASKED YOU TO DO ONE THING!  _ONE. BLOODY. THING._  AND YOU  _CAN'T_  DO IT PROPERLY? GIVE ME THAT. I AM DOING THIS WHOLE HOWLER THING MYSELF."

" _NO!_  HANDS OFF, MOONY. GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME. I MEAN IT!"

"OR WHAT?"

"OR...OR I'LL  _RUN!_ "

" _COME BACK HERE, PADFOOT!_ "

" _BLOODY HELL, BOYS! SIRIUS, STOP RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE LIKE A STUPID TODDLER! REMUS, STOP CHASING AFTER YOUR IDIOT FRIEND. DORCAS, DO SOME – "_

And with that, the letter burst in a dramatic flames, cutting of Marlene's words. For a couple of minutes, the Great Hall was  _completely_  silent. No one dared to say a word, no one dared to move a muscle, no one even  _breathed_. It was Dumbledore's little giggles that broke the spell. Soon enough, everyone was laughing along with him. Even McGonagall looked like she had conflicted feelings between laughing and sending a  _Howler_ herself to her former students for being total idiots. As he tried to stop himself from cackling like hyenas, Harry couldn't help but to thank the Big Guy up there, or whoever was in charge of his life, that even if he lost his parents when he was just a baby, he had two set of parents that more than made up for it. It took sometime until everyone stopped laughing, and another extra time for people to get ready for their next class. Ron looked a bit more cheerful after listening to Harry's Howler, though he did express his envy that his Godparents weren't angry at him. Harry reminded him that if it wasn't for Sirius, his Godmothers no doubt would be yelling even  _worse_ than Mrs Weasley, seeing that there were  _two_ of them. Ron looked convinced, especially when he seemed to remember that time he stayed with Harry and saw Marlene yelled at his friend. Feeling much better of himself, the two friends got into class with smiles on their faces, even though they  _still_ had Hermione nagging after them.

Sometimes, they felt like Hermione another  _mother_ instead of a friend.

She was  _that_ annoying.


	2. The Dragon Tamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of people knew about him.
> 
> But he mattered too much to some people.

"You brought  _ice-cream_ on a rescue mission?"

"Well, it's Charmed to stay frozen for months."

"That's not what I meant."

"Whatever. Do you want it or not?"

"Fine. I'll have some."

"I don't hear a thank you."

" _Thank you, oh great one."_

"Ah, that's more like it, kid."

It had been a little over a month since Sirius and Tonks began their  _trip_ to find Charlie Weasley. To say that her mother supported her would be a bit too much. But Andromeda knew that when Tonks set her mind on something, there was no point on trying to change her mind. In the end, she relented and let Tonks to go for the mission. It did help that Sirius promised he would keep an eye 24/7 on Tonks, and if there was anyone in this world that Andromeda trusted her daughter's life with other than her husband, it would be her cousin. So, without further ado, Sirius and Tonks Apparated to one of the many Black estates spread all over Europe, Romania included. It wasn't exactly a manor like the one Sirius lived in, more like a cottage. It was located in Cârligi and was heavily protected with Protection Charms and Spells. They spent almost two weeks there to look for clues about Charlie because the last time anyone saw him, he was seen in a local (Muggle) pub not far from the cottage they were staying at. The pub owner told Sirius that he did know Charlie, who stayed at the inn just across of his pub. He said that Charlie spent the week he was there visiting his pub at least  _twice_ every day to have a drink. Each one of his visits, Charlie  _always_ looked like he'd been through a fight, limping as he walked with bruises and blood decorating his face. The last time he came, the pub owner remembered Charlie was cradling his right hand, which was twisted in a painful angle. When Sirius asked whether he saw Charlie carrying anything during one of his visits, the man said that except for the wooden stick he always kept in his left hand, the only thing the redhead had with him was an old picture of a young woman.

Before the pub owner even said it, Tonks knew instantly  _whose_  picture Charlie was holding.

" _Hey, you're the woman in the picture!"_ the man said in his thick accent, pointing at Tonks. "You looked a little older though, and your hair was brown in the picture. But it was  _definitely_ you. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Well, thanks a lot for everything," Sirius said quickly. "I appreciate your help,  _draibăr_."

"Ah, sure. It's not a problem, really. But, who are you – "

" _Obliviate."_

The man stared blankly at Sirius for a minute as the Pureblood Auror tempered with his memory. It wouldn't be good for any of Voldemort's followers, or Voldemort himself, to find out that there was someone trying to help Charlie. When the man began to lose his consciousness, both Aurors quickly exited the pub. But they did leave a bit of Muggle money for the pub owner before they left to their next destination though, which was Focșani. According to the clues and information they gathered back in Cârligi, Charlie actually let it slipped that he wanted to visit his friends there. It didn't take long for Tonks to realise that Charlie  _intentionally_  told people about it, probably realising that sooner or later, he'd gone missing and someone would try to finish his work. Those friends Charlie talked about was obviously his fellow dragonologist who were known to reside in cities with huge wizard-community like Focșani. Tonks finally came to the conclusion that Charlie's work as a dragonologist could have been a front after all, and that his  _real_ job was as a spy. When she told Sirius about it, the senior Auror nodded his head in agreement, although he couldn't help the confusion about the identity of Charlie's employer.

"Could it be Dumbledore?" Tonks asked. "Could the old man ask Charlie to be his ears all the way here in Romania?"

"Probably," Sirius said slowly, considering the possibilities. "The man  _did_ say that it was important to keep our alliances with other countries."

"Speaking of Dumbledore, does he know about this?"

"Of course not. Other than the Weasleys and my family, your parents are the only ones who know about us coming to Charlie Weasley's rescue. I didn't want to alert unwanted attention."

"But, don't you think it'd be better for Dumbledore to know? He could help, I know."

"And risk  _Lucius Malfoy_ finding out that Dumbledore's attention was on something else other than Hogwarts? Trust me, the last thing we need is for Malfoy to hear about this. Besides, if it turned out my suspicion was wrong, I'd prefer no one found out about it."

Tonks dropped the subject when she realised that Sirius was right. It didn't mean that she agreed though. Just like every other person who knew the man, Tonks was also under the impression that whenever something bad happened, Dumbledore would save the day. It wasn't like she didn't trust Sirius would be able to save Charlie. It was just habit for her, seeing that everyone she knew practically worshipped the ground Dumbledore walked on. But like Sirius said, Dumbledore wasn't there to help, so Tonks decided that it would be better for her to look through the information they gathered so they could haven an inkling where Charlie went. They'd spent over eight days in Focșani, asking Charlie's friends about him, but nothing they said seemed to be enough to give them clues on his whereabouts. Lost in her own concentration, Tonks didn't realise it when her mind took a little detour into the drawers in the back of her mind, where she kept all the memories she had of Charlie Weasley. The moment she finally took notice that her mind  _wasn't_ on the little notes she and Sirius made, it was too late. Tonks' mind had started to go through  _everything_ she had on the redhead, starting from the first time she saw him, back when she was only eleven.

They first met just a week after their Sorting ceremony, when she got into Hufflepuff and he went to Gryffindor to join his older brother. A group of Slytherin girls from her year was cornering Tonks because of who she was, and the teasing got even worse when Tonks' hair started to change colours frantically because of her emotions. As cliché as it sounded, Charlie Weasley came to her rescue, telling them to get lost or he'd hit them all. Unlike her bedtime stories where the knight was wearing a shining-armour, Charlie was soaked to the bones in his Gryffindor uniform after playing in the rain. It didn't matter to Tonks though, because in her eyes, when the redhead began to ask whether the girls hurt her or not, Charlie could have worn a jester-costume and Tonks wouldn't even bat an eye. That was pretty much how they became friends. Despite being in different Houses, they managed to hang out as often as they could. Whenever they had classes together, they would immediately go to sit beside each other. Tonks didn't have much friends in her own House, but Charlie had  _tons_ of friends in Gryffindor. That was when the teasing began. At first, the Metamorphmagus thought that Charlie would push her away because back when you were eleven, being friends with girls was  _bad._ But Tonks was wrong. Charlie merely shrugged it off and told his friends to find their own 'awesome friend _'_ because Tonks was  _Charlie's_ friend. Tonks felt like her face was going to split into two because of how big she was smiling when Charlie put an arm around her and dragged her to have lunch with him by the Black Lake.

When they got to their fourth year, a lot of things had changed. Tonks finally outgrew her boyish features, and people started to notice her other than the clumsy Metamorphmagus. They began to acknowledge that she  _was_ as pretty as her mother and her other Black relatives. Other than that though, when it came to Tonks' life, not much happened. But Charlie though? He was another story. He entered his rebellious phase the moment he turned fourteen. Though he had always been popular for his charms and rather good-looks that he shared with his older brother, the moment Charlie came for his fourth year with his first  _tattoo_ on his left bicep, all girls went crazy about him. The fact that he became everyone's favourite Seeker only became a boost to his popularity. That was when the  _long_ string of girlfriends started, and poor Tonks was pushed to the sidelines. She really wanted to say that it didn't affect their friendship, but it did. They spent less time together, and by the end of their fourth year, Tonks was thoroughly convinced that Charlie had no longer cared about her. She came home that year with tears brimming in her eyes as she sat alone in her compartment, cursing the stupid redhead and  _herself._ She felt a terrible pain in her chest, so horrible the pain was she felt like vomiting. It was until she saw Charlie kissed his newest girlfriend that Tonks realised she had fallen for her best friend.

Her fifth year started, and for the first time ever, Tonks made use of her Metamorphmagus. She did a complete one-eighty and change her entire appearance. When she boarded the Hogwarts Express, she turned from 'boring but pretty' into 'gorgeous and flirty'. She changed her light-brown hair that she inherited from her father into the beautiful shade of golden brown that she saw from her mother's magazines. Her brown eyes that she always felt  _really_ dull changed into purple. Tonks didn't wait for her too long begin her mission. Samuel Kenneth was her victim, a fellow Hufflepuff from her year. For a week, she toyed with him, flirting and all the stupid things the girls she used to laugh at always did. When the boy was hooked and was  _begging_ her to be his girlfriend, she had begun to look for her next target. For the whole year, Tonks' activities revolved around studying (because her mother would kill her if her grades slipped) and crushing  _every_ boy's heart that she toyed with. She knew she was being a total idiot as she became the kind of girl she  _swore_ that she would never be. But the look on Charlie's face when he saw her kissing his biggest rival was  _too_ priceless for her to witness, so she kept her acts. She knew her limits though, and her flirting only went as far as snogging in broom-closets. Still, it gave her the reputation that she was after. When the train arrived at King's Cross from from Hogwarts, Charlie stopped her by grabbing her hand, and asked what had happened to them. Coolly, Tonks told him to ask  _himself_ what had happened, before she pushed past him to go meet her mother, quickly altering her appearances back into her true form.

Tonks' OWLs result came, and she was so proud of herself when she found that she passed the classes she wanted to become an Auror. Her parents praised her achievement the whole summer, and she even got a new broom from her father. For the first time since her tragic fourth year, Tonks felt genuinely happy. During the whole summer, not even once did she think about that redhead  _git._ She even agreed to babysit little Harry when Sirius asked her about. Tonks was  _that_ happy with the sudden yet great changes in her life. She had a huge smile on her face as she got on the train for her sixth year, but it was soon wiped off her face when she felt Charlie dragged her into the train's loo. She was about to scream at him to sod off, when she saw the look in his blue eyes. For all the years she knew him, never once had she seen him looking as  _broken_ as that time he locked the both of them in the loo. It had only been two years, and she couldn't believe she had forgotten just how  _beautiful_ the redhead was. He had new tattoos peeking from his sleeves, and both of his ears were pierced. She didn't want to admit it, but it felt difficult for her to breathe when Charlie was standing  _so close_ to her. Tonks opened her mouth to ask him what did he want, but he beat her to it. He cupped her face with one hand as he leaned closer, his nose nuzzled Tonks' cheek softly. The Metamorphmagus let out a shuddering breath when she realised that Charlie's free hand had wrapped around her waist and was pulling her even  _closer_ to him.

"Charlie?" Tonks had whispered, swallowing heavily at the close proximity.

"Don't punish me anymore, Tonks," Charlie had replied in a heart-breaking tone. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry.  _Please,_ don't punish me anymore. I know I deserve it, but it  _hurts,_ Tonks.  _So much…"_

Tonks froze, unable to think let alone say anything. She let out a small gasp when she felt Charlie moved, lowering himself to the ground so that he was kneeling in front of her. She looked down and she saw  _it;_ she saw the pain in Charlie's  _tired_  blue eyes. It broke heart heart to see him like that. Yes, what he did hurt her too. Call her a stupid romantic, but she  _did_ love him. It was her turn to cup Charlie's face, except she used both hands. As she tried to pull him back onto his feet, Tonks said, "Get up. Charlie, get up. Get up  _now."_

"No, Tonks. Not until you say you've forgiven me," Charlie said, shaking his head stubbornly. "I will not get up until you tell me you've forgiven me. I will not get up until you tell me that you're done punishing me."

"I never meant it as a punish – "

"Why did you do it then? Why did you flaunt all those boys in front of me? Why, Tonks? Goddamit, don't you know that it  _killed_ me to see you kissing those boys? Don't you know that – "

Something in Tonks snapped.

" _I know that, you selfish jerk!"_ Tonks yelled, slapping Charlie hard as she finally let lose the anger and sadness she kept for two years. "I  _felt_ that too when you started to date all those stupid girls in our Fourth year. You know, the  _same_ girls who made it a game to tease me? You want to talk about hurt? You want to talk about pain? That's rich, coming from you, Weasley. You  _hurt_ me first, and now you're acting as if you were the victim?"

" _I love you!"_ Charlie yelled right back as he got onto his feet, towering over Tonks. "I have  _always_ loved you, Nymphadora Tonks. I wanted to tell you that since  _second year,_ but you always chickened out whenever people began to tease us about it. So, don't go blaming me when I thought you didn't want me like that."

All the anger was drained out from Tonks' body, as she slowly processed Charlie's words. She blinked about a thousand time to make sure she wasn't dreaming because it felt like something from childish fairy tales. In real life, jerks like Charlie didn't come begging for forgiveness and then yelling his love for the pathetic loser like Tonks. But it really  _was_ happening to her. Charlie  _was_ asking for her forgiveness. He  _was_ telling her that he loved her. Tonks knew that she still had loads to talk to Charlie, especially because deep down, she was still angry with him for being a total  _arse._ But she decided that she could always yell at Charlie later on. She would be damned if she let him go away again. The git was about to resign himself with the fact that Tonks was going to hate him forever when the Hufflepuff wrapped her arms around him, and like every other romantic novels she  _(sadly)_ had read, Tonks kissed Charlie with all the love she had for him, hoping that he'd understand that she  _loved_ him too, and that she forgave him, but she too was still  _very_ angry with him. Judging from the cheeky grin Charlie had against his lips as he returned her kiss, it seemed like the fool understood what she meant.

"Tonks? Hey, Tonks? Kid, are you alright?"

_("Hey, what happened? Are you alright, love?")_

_("You're_ leaving  _me, you git. How could I be alright?")_

Tonks shook her head to clear her thoughts at the sound of Sirius' voice calling her name. She realised that she had spent too much time thinking about the past. Taking her eyes off from the pile of papers she had, she turned her attention toward Sirius. The older Auror had just gone to meet someone who claimed to be the last person who saw Charlie before he left Focșani. One look at Sirius' face, Tonks didn't need to ask him whether he had good news or bad news. The frown on his face was prove enough that whatever Charlie's friend told him was definitely bad news.

"What did he say?" Tonks said, unconsciously she began to wring on her sleeve as she waited for the dreaded information.

"He was visiting Charlie, and was about to knock on his front door, when he heard the noises coming from inside the room Charlie rented," Sirius began. "He said that there were at least six people with Charlie, and they were talking rather heatedly with one another. He was going to come in to see whether Charlie needed help, when the yelling began. It wasn't hard for our friend to guess that whoever was inside the room with Charlie was trying to get your boyfriend to come with them. By the time he finally managed to knock down Charlie's door, one of Charlie's attackers had struck him right on the chest, which made him unconscious. They didn't waste a single time and Apparate away, taking Charlie with them. Our friend was rather smart though, because he was quick enough to put a Tracking Spell on them before they were gone."

"That's great!" Tonks exclaimed, feeling like she could breath for the first time in weeks. "Where did they go, Sirius? We should go after them before it's too late."

"Not so fast, kid," Sirius said, his frown deeped. "It's not like they took your boyfriend to Paris to see the Eiffel tower. The place where they took him was a really dangerous place, the centre of every Dark Magic that ever existed. It was filled with ancient and vile magic, and we needed at least  _twenty_ highly-trained Aurors if we wanted to go there."

"Well, I don't care," Tonks said firmly. "Besides, where in the world did they take Charlie to? It's not like they were taking him to hell."

"Close," Sirius said, and Tonks was  _shocked_ to find Sirius letting out a shudder as his face paled slightly. "They're taking him to Hoai Baciu forest."

* * *

Percy Weasley was known to be the biggest jerk in his family. It wasn't like he intentionally acted like an arse most of the time. No, Percy became the person he was because he had high expectations toward himself in his life. He had goals that he needed to fulfil so he wouldn't end up as  _another_ Weasleyamongst the hundreds others. Percy wanted to become  _somebody_ that people would talk about because of all the great things he did. But it didn't mean that he didn't care about his family, because he did. Percy cared deeply about his family. That was why he  _desperately_ wanted to succeed in life, so he could give them the life they deserved. It broke his heart when he saw how the twins had to keep it to themselves whenever they wanted something that would help them explore their creativity, or when Ron was getting all the secondhand stuffs he had, or how Ginny had to settle for  _someone_ else's secondhand stuffs. His family was good people, he knew it. But why did they have  _so little,_ when other people who Percy believed didn't deserve it had more? It was more than once that Percy wondered why people like the Malfoys practically had the world by the palms of their hands. Life wasn't fair, that was the conclusion Percy came to. It was  _never_ fair, and he needed to fight tooth and nail to finally get what he and his family deserved.

So he separated himself from others, compartmentalised his feelings to focus, and tried his very best to succeed in achieving his goals.

But sometimes, when his family was enduring a great pain, Percy wished he wasn't so emotionally constipated, just so he could cheer them up a little without feeling like an colossal idiot.

Like that day when Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks came to his house to deliver the news about Charlie

Percy _desperately_ wished that he could take the pain away from his mother when he saw the look on her face. Molly had always feared for the safety of her two eldest, and he knew it was like a nightmare came to life as she listened to Sirius. Out of his six brothers, Percy was the closest with Charlie. True, Bill was probably the one who was  _really_ close with Charlie. But Percy felt the most comfortable with his dragon-loving older brother. Because Bill, kind and wise that he was, saw Percy as someone  _much_ too young to be someone his equal. Being the oldest of seven child, Bill more often than not saw himself as another  _parent_ other than an older brother. Charlie was different. Even when he was still a kid himself, Charlie would sneak sweets to his younger siblings, winking cheekily as he ducked away from Bill's backhanded slap to his head. It would be an understatement of the century to say that Percy was distressed about Charlie being missing. He was trying to console his sister, who had started crying midway Sirius' words, when he began to notice something from the woman sitting beside the Pureblood. She was silent the whole time her companion talked, her composure was incredibly calm and poised. But Percy had always been the keen one in his family, and it didn't miss his attention when he saw the slight tremor in the woman's hand as pain flashed in her purple eyes. Percy remembered Tonks. She was already a fourth a year with Charlie when Percy began his first, and she was actually very reserved until the end of the year. In her fifth year, Tonks became very popular for being a total flirt. The third Weasley child remembered the rumours he heard regarding the former Hufflepuff and his brother, and it was only that moment, as he witnessed how she clenched her jaw, that he realised how  _true_ the rumours were.

_(You owe me five Galleons, Bill.)_

"Hullo, Perce," a voice surprised Percy out of his reverie. Turning around, he found Oliver Wood standing by the door to the boys' dormitory, dressed in his Quidditch uniform.

"Hi," Percy greeted, eyeing his friend closely before he let out a snort. "Please don't tell me you're making your team practise till late again."

"Of course not," Oliver said, rolling his eyes at Percy's accusation. "It was just me. I know this must be a little surprising for you to hear, but I don't actually make it a habit to go hard on my team."

"My brothers would definitely argue you about it," Percy said, remembering the twins' moaning to him about how  _cruel_ Oliver could be when he was in his moods.

"We all know how  _dramatic_ Fred and George can be," Oliver said. "They are  _your_ brothers after all."

Percy rolled his eyes but said nothing else. Not a lot of people knew it, but Percy was actually very close with Oliver. He could even confidently say that the Quidditch fanatic was his  _best friend_. It was funny how they ended up as friends, seeing that they both had completely different agendas. But they  _were_ friends. At first, it was their love toward Quidditch that brought them together. But after awhile, the fact that they both had their own ambitions that they both respected was what brought them closer. They would study together with or without upcoming tests, and when they felt like taking a break, they would be talking about Quidditch until their throats were sore. Being the odd one out in his family, Percy really welcomed the friendship Oliver gave him. It made him feel like someone who wasn't a total arse.

Oliver made him feel like he wasn't as _heartless_ as his siblings always made him out to be.

"…Perce? Hey, Percy. Percy, do you hear me?" Olive called his name a few times. The Keeper had showered and was prepared for sleep. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Percy then nodded.

"Yeah, sorry," Percy muttered, running a hand through his hair tiredly. "I…I had something on mind."

"Imagining yourself as the future Prime Minister again?" Oliver teased as he threw himself on Percy's bed, squeezing his bigger build to fit in the small bed. The redhead could only roll his eyes as he scooted to the side a little bit to give his ( _best?_ ) friend some space.

_(Percy tried to ignore the fact that if it were anyone else other than Oliver, he'd have kicked them off the bed. Even his girlfriend Penelope.)_

_(Even his beloved siblings._ Especially  _his siblings. Complete prats, they were.)_

"No, I was thinking about something else," Percy said quietly, glancing at the day's Daily Prophet that reported about Charlie's disappearance. It seemed that the news had reached Skeeter at last. Oliver followed his gaze and sobered up instantly.

"I'm sorry about your brother," Oliver said. "He was a great captain. Brilliant leader."

"I know. He's my  _brother,_ remember?"

Oliver looked like he was carefully trying to think of the right words to say before he opened his mouth. Tilting his head to the side, he said, "I read that there were Aurors who secretly went after your brother. Is it true?"

Percy nodded. "Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks went after him. It should be a secret actually, lest Charlie's captors would find out that someone was going after him. Dunno how Skeeter got it."

"That's Skeeter for you. The woman is cunning as hell. She has eyes and ears everywhere in the Ministry. You know, people who'd blab irresponsibly for the money she'd pay them."

"I just wish that by the time everything's out in the open, Sirius and Tonks have found Charlie. I mean, imagine what they'd do to him if…"

Percy swallowed heavily as he trailed off, unable to continue as horrible pictures of his brother being torture flashed in his mind. Charlie was strong, everyone knew that. But going under torture for  _months_ now, it wasn't easy. It couldn't be easy.

"They'll find him, Perce. We have to believe that they'll find him," Oliver said, patting Percy's knees.

"I hope so," the young sixth year Prefect said, his eyes once again landed on the Prophet.

There was a picture of Charlie back when he just graduated out of Hogwarts. He was practically glowing in happiness, even though he made a face when Molly gave him a kiss. His family had the picture back at home, framed and hung in their cramped house. Percy had walked passed the picture thousands of times before. But it was the first time he noticed Charlie's blue eyes, so similar like himself and Bill's and Ron's eyes, were focused on someone on the far side. The person on the edge of the picture was cut because Arthur probably focused the camera on his son and wife. But Percy could tell that, even though the picture was black-and-white, the person Charlie was looking had  _shocking bubblegum-pink hair._

"Hey, Perce?" Oliver said.

"Hm?" Percy hummed absentmindedly.

"I just want to tell you that you're  _not_ alone, okay? When you feel like talking to someone, feel free to come to me and talk my ear off."

Percy blinked, and for the first time since Oliver entered the room, the Prefect turned his attention at the Keeper. He swallowed thickly when he realised that they were _so close_ to one another. "Uh, thank you, Oliver."

Oliver shrugged, ruffling Percy's hair before he went to his own bed and buried himself under his covers. "Don't mention it, mate. We're _best_ friends, remember? Besides, I know you. When things get tough, you have the tendency to distant yourself from others. So, don't push away people who care about you. Let the twins and Penelope in. Let  _us_ in. You'll need it."

That night, it took Percy awhile to fall asleep. And when he did, his dreams were filled with his best friend.


	3. First Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people's first week was just not that good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! I'm sorry for the looong wait. To be honest, I hate this story A LOT. I tried to improve it, make it all better, but it's just that horrible. It's partly why it took me ages to update. In the end, I have no choice but to post it anyway. I'm sorry if you end up hating it as much as I do.

Draco was nervous as hell.

All his life, the only times Draco was nervous were when his father looked at him poorly disguised disappointment in his eyes. Well, he _was_ a little nervous during the Sorting ceremony, but he always had a feeling that he would end up in Slytherin. Not only his parents were Slytherins, but he had a long line of Slytherins from both sides of his family. So, it was actually a given that he ended up as one. The reason the young Malfoy was feeling nervous at the moment was because of the little piece of paper Marcus Flint was holding in his hand. Marcus was a complete _idiot_ _,_ in Draco's opinion, but the imbecile also happened to be Captain for Slytherin's Quidditch team – and Draco wanted to be in the team so badly. Following the footsteps of his father, Draco tried out for the position of a Chaser. Draco was actually pretty confident back when he was on the field as he scored eighteen out of the twenty shots he should to get the position he wanted. No other candidates scored as much as he did, so he was rather sure that he'd get the position. But that was  _before_ he found out that Flint had promised the one position left for Chasers to his friend.

He should have known that politics  _always_ applied in Slytherin.

"Come on, Draco," Theo said, pulling him by the hand toward the piece of paper Flint put on the notice board. "Let's see whether you get Chaser or not."

"I'm not getting it, Theo," Draco sighed, resigned. "Flint promised it to his friend Adrian Pucey."

" _Pucey?"_ Blaise repeated, frowning as he pictured the older Slytherin's tryout. By then, the trio was standing in front of the notice board. "Mate, didn't you see Pucey back there? That guy scored only a  _quarter_ of what your goals _."_

"That won't matter to Flint. As long as Pucey didn't totally suck, he'll take him."

"Have a little faith in yourself, Draco," Theo said. "Go and have a look."

Knowing how annoying his friends ( _Draco still couldn't believe he had them)_ could be, Draco relented and tiptoed to have a look at the notice board. He set his eyes on the names under the column titled CHASER, and found that his name wasn't there. But just when he was about to turn around, his eyes caught something _really_ interesting. Under the column titled SEEKER, he saw  _his_ name there. Draco thought he was imagining it, so against his better judgement, knowing that he'd look like a fool, Draco actually rubbed his eyes and blinked about seven times. Nope, he wasn't dreaming. The name was still there.  _His_ name was still there. Perhaps, one more time? Yep, it wasn't going away.

"Draco, you get it?" Theo said as he and Blaise squished themselves in between everyone else so they could see it.

"I didn't get Chaser," Draco said slowly, his grey eyes were still set on his name. "But I got – "

" _You got Seeker?"_ Blaise exclaimed, cutting him mid-sentence. "Wow!"

"Wait,  _what?"_  Theo said, nudging Draco aside so he could read it himself. After sometime, Draco's childhood friend let out a low whistle. "Whoa, Draco…"

"Seeker is  _definitely_ way better than Chaser," Blaise said, clapping Draco in the back even if he looked at him with sympathy. "You can finally make it even with Potter."

_Oh no._

"This is wrong," Draco muttered under his breath. "I can't be a Seeker. I'm a Chaser. I can't  _possibly_ become a Seeker."

"What's the difference, mate? You just have to fly," Theo said carelessly, being the only one in their little trio who wasn't  _that_ into Quidditch. He flinched when Draco whipped around and glared at him. Even Blaise sent him a look of displeasure.

"Oh, Theodore," Blaise scolded like a mother to her son. "How ignorant you are about Quidditch. Are you  _sure_ you're of the right species?"

"Cut it out, Zabini," Theo snapped, deeply offended. "There's nothing wrong about not being all that crazy over a sport."

"It's  _the_ sport, Theodore," Blaise said, rolling his eyes at the other boy. "And if you were just a wee bit more informed, you'd know that you  _can't_ force a position to someone. That's just not right. And I think that applies to all kinds of sports."

"Well, Chaser and Seeker aren't that different. It's not like Draco had to change from being a Beater into a Keeper."

"See? Draco, did you hear him? This just shows how awfully – "

"Just shut up, you two," Draco said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just…keep it shut. I'm trying to find a solution right now."

"Get your father to bribe Flint," Theo said, earning a nod from Blaise. "I'm sure he won't be able to say no if your father buys him the newest broom or something."

"Quidditch Illiterate over here is right. Do it the Slytherin way," Blaise said as he dodged a wayward kick from Theo.

"My father bought the  _entire_ team new brooms to ensure I get into the team," Draco said in a small voice, feeling a little embarrassed at the revelation. "I've gotten into the team already. I don't think my father will be pleased if I ask him for more."

"Oh, damn," Theo said, feeling frustrated as well for his hand. "You're screwed then, Malfoy. And your father was a Chaser as well, so there's no asking him for suggestions."

"If only you had someone in your family who you could turn to," Blaise quipped, unaware that what he said had sparked an idea in his blonde friend's mind.

"Hold on, Blaise… I  _do_ have someone I can ask suggestions about this," Draco said, cheering up a bit.

"Who?" Theo and Blaise asked in unison. But Draco wasn't answering them. He'd gone running into the boy's dormitory to write a letter.

Ever since his father took him and his mother to Black Manor for the party in honour of Regulus Black's return, Narcissa had managed to secure a rather good relationship with her long lost cousin. Both of them being the youngest and always felt like they were overshadowed by their older siblings, Regulus and Narcissa had always been close since they were little. Thus, before the Malfoys excused themselves, Narcissa made sure that Regulus knew she still considered him as her best friend. Draco found out just a few days later that since then, Narcissa always tried to meet up with Regulus at Black Manor when no one else but Regulus and his wife were home. The last time she went to see Regulus, the blonde woman took Draco to come with her. It didn't take Draco long to decide that he liked his mother's cousin. He was very nice toward Draco, and he treated him as if he were his equal rather than a child. It granted the man a huge positive point in Draco's eyes. The young Slytherin could say that Regulus probably liked him too, seeing that the man sent Draco a letter  _just_ to wish him luck for his Quidditch tryout. Draco did tell Regulus about his plan on trying out for the team, and he was glad that Regulus took him seriously. If there was anyone he could ask about how being a Seeker, it was definitely Regulus Black. The man  _was_ as Seeker back in his days.

Grabbing a piece of parchment and his quill, Draco began his letter.

_Dear Regulus…_

* * *

" _Why did you save me?"_

_"Well, you'd have drowned if I hadn't saved you."_

_"What if that was what  I_ wanted _?"_

 _"Are you saying that you wanted to_ die?"

" _We all live to die after all. Doesn't matter how."_

_"Wait, where are you going?"_

_"I'm leaving, of course."_

Cedric opened his eyes abruptly, shooting up from his pillows as he woke up from his dream. It was more like memories, but whatever. Sometimes details didn't matter at all. He ran a hand through his sweat-slicked hair, swallowing thickly as he felt his heart beating madly. It was the same dream he had been having since he met  _her._ Luna Lovegood, his little moon princess who wanted to die.They never spoke about it, but Cedric knew she still remembered how exactly they met. Whenever their parents asked them to retell the stories of how they became friends, they'd say that she was playing by the pond and nearly slipped into the water when Cedric came to the rescue. His father made it a habit to remind Xenophilius Lovegood that he owed Cedric a great deal for saving Luna. What none of their parents knew was that Luna didn't slip that day. When Cedric came by the pond, just a few days after he attended the funeral of Mrs Lovegood, the Hufflepuff saw a whole different scenario. Nine year old Luna Lovegood intentionally jumped into the pond to drown herself so she could be with her mother. The water wasn't deep enough to drown her, true. But it was poisonous enough to kill her if she swallowed some. After he found out Luna's true intentions, it was like he made a silent vow to himself that he'd always make sure that Luna didn't make another attempt to kill herself. Every morning at nine, Cedric would come to her house and spent the whole day accompanying her picking plants and running after every weird creatures they came across on their little trip around the forest near her house. When he got back home every evening, Cedric was always haunted with the thought of Luna jumping from the window of her room in the middle of the night.

For someone so young, Luna had  _very_ dark thoughts running through young minds.

In the two years he knew her, Cedric learned that Luna was always bullied by her cousins from her mother's side. Her father being who he was, Mrs Lovegood's family didn't think that highly of him. It resulted badly for Luna. Ever since she was young, her cousins would tease her and make fun of her because she was different. Cedric had no idea why he was suddenly so protective toward the younger girl, but he couldn't help himself from feeling really angry at the thought of someone being cruel to Luna. The bullying took a toll on Luna, especially after her mother's death. People would often remark that Luna's honesty knew no bounds. But, the truth was, when it came to herself, Luna was a proficient liar. She had the ability to put up walls to guard her true feelings. She could ask nonchalantly as if nothing could hurt her, but that was just a façade. A bloody good one. It if was someone who was older ( _like_ much  _older),_ it wouldn't be weird for Cedric to see it. But for Luna, who was only nine back then, it was worrying. Cedric himself was only thirteen when he first met her, but even then he knew that children shouldn't be afraid to show how they really felt. The few times he managed to make her speak about what she really had in mind, he really wished she hadn't talked about death so casually.

He supposed it was a good thing that he was four years older  _and_ a Prefect too. That way, even though she got into Ravenclaw while he was in Hufflepuff, he could still watch her back. Cedric had a lot of friends in other Houses, but he knew that none of them would look after Luna the way he wanted them too. Just the other day, he saw some third year Ravenclaw boys mocked Luna for the Butterbeer-cap necklace she was wearing. He would have bashed those little pricks' head if Ginny Weasley weren't there to help Luna. Ginny threatened that she would tell her brother Percy if those boys didn't leave Luna alone. At first, Cedric was worried that they would probably hurt Ginny too because she was getting in the way, and the last thing Cedric wanted was to explain to Percy and Weasley twins about  _why_ their little sister was hurt. So when he saw the sixth year Prefect miraculously coming to his sister's aid as if Ginny just summoned him out of thin air, he let out a huge breath of relief as he watched Percy took points from those boys. From the corner of his eye, Cedric saw Ginny led Luna to their next class that they had together. He only left them alone to go to his own class once he was sure that the both of them got into class. Cedric knew that there were other kids that would tease Luna again. But, as long as Ginny was with him, Cedric didn't worry that much about her.

"Diggory, you awake?" a sleepy voice said as the door to the boys' dormitory was opened. A boy in his year, who was known for his partying habits, named Ted Edwards came in, still dressed in his uniform. Cedric spared a glance toward his watch and saw that it was almost two in the morning. Good thing it was the weekend.

"Yeah, I'm up. Why? You need some Hangover Potion for later?" Cedric asked, having been asked the question many times before. Despite their rather obvious differences, Cedric could say that Edwards was rather a good friend of his.

"Sod off, you git," Edwards laughed. "There was a little girl outside the portrait asking for you. I think her name was Luna. Is she your cousin or something?"

" _What?_ " Cedric practically yelped, leaping off his bed. "You're not messing with me, right?"

"Why in the world would I do that?" Edwards said as he swayed a bit, the alcohol in his system obviously making him a bit woozy. "Look, Diggory; you better get out there quickly. She was lucky I was on my way back here and saw her out there by herself. What with the attacks lately, it's not safe for her to be out so late at night."

"You're right," Cedric agreed. He quickly picked up his shirt from the foot of his bed, slipped them on and headed out of the room.

Cedric spent no more time and opened the portrait, hoping that he wasn't too late. His breath got caught in his throat when he saw Luna sitting on the floor, curling into herself as she leaned against the wall. But that wasn't all of it. At the sound of someone opening the portrait, Luna turned around her toward him, and that was when Cedric noticed that her usually long hair was _much_ shorter than he remembered seeing it just a few hours prior. There was also a slight bruise under her right eye that he knew would get worse by morning. He didn't need to ask her to know what those  _horrid_ girls had done to her. In less than a second, Cedric felt the immense anger toward those girls. Calling people awful names was one thing. But this? This was too much. Pulling Luna closer to him, Cedric led her into the common room, knowing that if anyone saw it, he'd probably have some explaining to do, but he ignored it anyway. He Summoned his quilt from the boys' dormitory and wrapped Luna with it as they both sat by the fire. The poor girl was trembling from the cold, so he hugged her tightly to get her warm. Cedric's heart clenched when he felt the the small Ravenclaw leaned into him, burying her face against his chest. Luna _never_ cried, but this was probably the most vulnerable he'd seen of her. The next thirty minutes passed with Luna in his arms as they huddled together, silently watching the flames dancing like little fairies. He felt her little hands playing with his collar as Cedric himself was absentmindedly stroking her hair.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Cedric asked in a small voice. "I know you don't like to talk about it, but I  _need_ to know, Luna. This has gotten too far and I can't keep quiet anymore."

"It's nothing," Luna answered, her sweet voice sounded tired. "You don't need to worry about it."

 _"Luna…"_ Cedric took her chin and forced her to look at him. "I told you that I'll always be there for you, right? Please don't shut me out. Tell me what happened."

It took the girl a minute to finally relent. Sighing heavily as she pulled her knees to her chin, Luna said, "I was asleep when I heard them looking through my things. I saw them reading Daddy's letter, laughing at what he wrote. I told them to give it back, but they wouldn't do it. I got…I got angry at them, but I didn't mean it to happen, I swear."

"What did you do to them?" Cedric asked, though he had an inkling already.

"I made their belongings to attack them," Luna said curtly. "And it only stopped after one of them managed to hit me. Then they dragged me to the bathroom, held me down on the floor as one of them cut my hair. After that, they decided to kick me out of the Tower."

Cedric was at lost for words. He had guessed that her fellow Ravenclaws had bullied her. But he never thought it was that bad. Judging from how casual Luna talked about it, he had a feeling that it wasn't exactly the first time she was treated this horribly. He decided that when morning came, he'd talk about it to Professor Flitwick. Cedric told Luna about his plan, firmly ignoring Luna's request to just leave it alone. He tucked loose stray of her hair behind her ear and added, "I also want you to promise me that if anything like this happens again, I want you to tell me about it."

"Fine," Luna sighed in defeat. Cedric was about to grin triumphantly when she continued. "Sometimes I think that it'd all be easier if you'd let me drown that day, you know? If I'd died, none of this would happen."

_No._

"Stop it," Cedric said through gritted teeth, his jaw clenching hard.

"People have started talking about it now. They know you're there to protect me, and they  _don't_ like it. One day, they'll make fun of you, and you'll lose everything _._ It's better for me to die."

"Luna, stop it."

"I'd see Mummy again. I'd be sad about leaving you and Daddy, but it's better – "

" _Luna!"_

Cedric didn't realise it that he'd yelled at her until he saw the surprised look on her face. He felt guilty when he saw the slight fear in Luna's pale eyes as she unconsciously drifted out of his arms, knowing that he had scared her. Heaving deeply, Cedric pulled her back into him, gently stroking her hair like he just did as he buried his face in her hair. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Luna. But, you should know by now that I hate it when you talk about dying. How do you think I'd feel if one day I found you're not here anymore? Promise me you'll stop thinking about it. When things get too hard, you come find me and I'll help you through it."

"Okay…" Luna said in a soft whisper, and Cedric let out a sigh of relief when he felt her relaxed.

"Thank you," Cedric said. "In the morning we'll go to Madam Pomfrey about your bruise, okay? And hopefully, she'll have something to grow your hair back."

"Why are you so nice to me, Cedric?" Luna asked, pulling back a little bit so she could look at him. "You've  _always_ been so good to me. We're not related and as far I'm concern, our parents don't even  _like_ each other. Why, Cedric?"

"I don't know, Luna," Cedric said honestly. "But I do know that I care about you and I'll be absolutely devastated if you…if you're gone. So,  _please,_ don't do anything stupid when I'm not looking."


End file.
